The Meeting at Sinai

Exodus 4:27–31 (NASB95)

27Now the LORD said to Aaron, “Go to meet Moses in the wilderness.” So he went and met him at the mountain of God and kissed him. 28Moses told Aaron all the words of the LORD with which He had sent him, and all the signs that He had commanded him to do. 29Then Moses and Aaron went and assembled all the elders of the sons of Israel; 30and Aaron spoke all the words which the LORD had spoken to Moses. He then performed the signs in the sight of the people. 31So the people believed; and when they heard that the LORD was concerned about the sons of Israel and that He had seen their affliction, then they bowed low and worshiped.

Commentary - The Meeting at Sinai

God brings people together at just the right time and place. Moses and Aaron met at the mountain of God, Sinai, not by accident but by God’s design. God called each man separately and guided their steps so they would meet at this sacred mountain. Aaron was already on his way before Moses finished raising his last objection. God had arranged everything in advance, showing that He prepares and unites His servants for His purposes. Sinai would later become the center of Israel’s covenant and worship, but here it marks the beginning of God’s deliverance for His people. 

When Moses and Aaron arrived in Egypt, they gathered the elders of Israel. Aaron, likely already respected among the elders, spoke the words God had given and performed the signs God commanded. These signs were not random displays of power. They served as God’s authentication, confirming that Moses and Aaron were truly sent by Him. In the biblical tradition, signs and wonders validated the authority of God’s messengers and distinguished their message from false claims. The miracles (turning the staff into a serpent, making a hand leprous and then healing it, and turning the water of the Nile into blood) pointed to God’s supremacy over Egypt’s gods and to the reality of His intervention. These signs were not random. These signs would have had meaning and resonated with His people, who had lived the last 400 years in a polytheistic society and were oppressed by the demonic Egyptian gods. 

The elders and the people responded with belief and worship. When they saw the signs and heard that the Lord had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshiped. This was not empty ritual. Their worship was a heartfelt response to the realization that God had not forgotten them. He had seen their suffering and was now acting to deliver them. For a people who had lived for generations under oppression, this moment marked a turning point. They recognized God’s compassion and sovereignty, and their worship reaffirmed their identity as His chosen people. 

Miracles played a crucial role in this story and throughout Scripture. In the Old Testament, miracles authenticated God’s messengers and revealed His character. In Wesleyan thought, miracles are seen as signs of God’s ongoing involvement in the world. John Wesley taught that miracles were not confined to the past but continued as expressions of God’s grace and power, especially to strengthen faith and confirm the gospel. Wesley believed that God’s miraculous interventions were available to believers and that signs and wonders could still accompany the proclamation of God’s word. However, he also warned that miracles are not the foundation of faith but serve to point people to the living God. Today, God’s power is seen in answered prayers, transformed lives, and moments of divine provision. The greatest miracle is the change God brings to the human heart and the new life found in Christ. 

For the church today, the story of Moses and Aaron reminds us that God sees, God remembers, and God acts. He brings people together for His purposes and confirms His word with signs that build faith. Our response should be like that of the Israelites: to believe, to worship, and to trust that God is present in our struggles. As a church, let us remain open to God’s leading, expectant for His power, and ready to worship Him for His faithfulness. 

From here, the Exodus narrative will change. We will leave the topic of calling and preparation, and the story of deliverance will begin to unfold. 

In His Service, 

 Ryan Goodnight